Transcription
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Today, we're going to talk all about how we say don't retire in Mexico if you have the following issues. Yeah, we've had almost four years now. So, we experienced some of these things and we want to make sure you are warned. So, stay with us.
Okay. First thing on our list is safety. When you live here, you learn to ignore what the US news is saying because we are living in tourist areas, expat areas. We don't have a lot of crazy crime. We have petty crime. You might get distracted in a shopping center and somebody will pickpocket you, right? But the statistics show that the murder rate here in Mexico is higher than the US, right? And I think that's cartel related and who knows what it's really related to, but we are not prone to worry about that because guess what? When we go to a festival, I don't worry about somebody pulling out a gun and shooting up the festival. She's right about that. I go to Walmart and that's the last thing I think about here in Mexico. But when we're in the US, we do think about that. Yeah.
Next on the list is we say don't retire in Mexico if you expect everything to be cheap. Yeah. You know, the affordability in Mexico has been rising because they're making more money. Yeah. And there are a lot of people that come into Mexico thinking that they can find rentals for what you could have found in the 1980s and 1990s. And if you see some of the YouTube channels, they will interview these people who pay $300 or $400 a month, but then you talk to them and you look at stories. They've been renting that place for 20 years. Or the amenities in those $300, $400 places are few and far between. Yeah. So, everybody knows that the cost of living in Mexico is less than the cost of living in most parts of the US. That is absolutely true. I love when we get back and um the prices are wonderful. It is more affordable here in Mexico. When we return from our trips to the United States and we get back, it's amazing to eat a lunch for $10 before both of us. For two of us. For two of us. Yeah. But when we are in the US, which is where we are right now, if you haven't noticed, I'm wearing a jacket. It's a little chilly here. It's a little chilly up here, but we are visiting family. So, we say yes, the cost of living is less in Mexico where we live and where we travel to. However, you can come to the US and go to places where the cost of living is not so high either, right? And you we all make those choices, don't we? Yes. But don't come to Mexico if you think everything's going to be cheap, cheap, cheap. We like the word inexpensive, right? Because things are less expensive. However, they are not as inexpensive as they were 20 or 30 years ago.
Next, we want to talk about how if you want to retire in Mexico, don't do it if you don't have an emergency fund. Yeah, that's one of the things that makes it comfortable for us to be here in Mexico because we know if we have a medical emergency or a travel emergency, we can dip into that emergency fund anytime. For example, our cost of living in the usual winter time when we live in Puerto Vallarta is about 2,900. And we have a video about that. Yeah. But when we travel, of course, it goes up a little more because we're paying for the apartment back in Puerto Vallarta, but we also then have to have accommodations in other places. But we also have this emergency fund for travel back to the US, which is where we are right now, visiting family because yes, my father passed away in July. And so we came here to help out my mom. We were also here in June. So, we were just back and forth on the same lines of having that emergency fund. What else do you need it for, Michael? When you go into the hospital, they love um either cash or credit. And they're going to ask for that money up front. That can be anywhere from $200 to if you're having cardiac surgery or something, that might even be $10,000, $20,000 US dollars. And you got to pay that up front. Yep. So, if you don't have an emergency fund or a credit card with a high limit, then you should not retire to Mexico. Don't do it, folks. Yeah. If you think you're going to be using Medicare here doesn't work either. So, you got to have some money or you have to have a plan at least on how you're going to take care of any medical bills.
Another thing, don't move or retire to Mexico if you have mobility issues. Meaning you need to get around only in a wheelchair or with a walker. That doesn't mean you can't come here. It's really challenging if you do. Those sidewalks are tough. And so if you have mobility issues, and we have friends who do, they drive a car and they get out and walk into the store, right? And so driving a car is a whole different can of worms. We don't have a car. We don't want a car. And so we say if you have mobility issues, think twice. There are some cities and some areas in Mexico that you could live in because it's flatter and less cobblestones. Yeah. But you know what? We just came from San Miguel and you and I were looking at the ground. We had these skinny sidewalks. It was challenging.
This is one of my favorite topics. Don't retire in Mexico if you have issues with neighborhood noise, dogs, or trash. Absolutely. You know, when we became residents, we adapted to the culture of Mexico, noises. What I mean by that, fiestas, parties, it's all it's ongoing and it's so fun. I love it. And the bars will start playing their music 2 o'clock. 12:00, 2:00. Some people will tell us they go to sleep with it and they wake up with it. Yeah. So, if you don't like the noise, you need to have peace and quiet. There are some places in Mexico you could live out in the country. Yeah. And you know, the dogs are all over the place. They bark and they don't have the rules for um controlling that. And not all of the places have trash everywhere. In fact, Lake Chapala area, we didn't see trash all over. No, we didn't. And in Mexico City, not so much. Even San Miguel de Allende, you won't see trash all over the street. Yeah, in the central area, it was really immaculate. I don't know about each individual neighborhood. No, but I know in Puerto Vallarta, we have a trash problem. They're addressing it, but it's um a long go to get it up to the spec under control. Under control. Yeah. So, you know, you turn your nose up and you say, "I can't stand this." This is how we live in Puerto Vallarta. They're working on it. And if you can't tolerate that, Mexico might not be the place for you.
Well, along those same lines, if you don't like the idea that you have to throw your toilet paper into a trash can next to your toilet, don't retire here. No, don't do it. Yeah.
Okay. Another one of my pet peeves is people who say they want to move to Mexico and they love the culture and they love the people and the food, but they want to bring all their stuff from the US or Canada. We have uh heard of friends bringing big trucks with 5,000 lbs of their stuff. Okay, I get a knickknack here or there that's very sentimental. Sentimental stuff maybe. But I have talked with people who say they bring a whole bunch of kitchen stuff and they got to bring the right sheets and things for the bed cuz they got to have certain kind of things. Well, don't retire in Mexico if you can't adapt to Mexico. Yeah. One of the reasons we moved here was to be assimilated in this culture and you can walk down the street and find fabulous things to make this your home. And guess what? Amazon even delivers in Mexico. So, no need to bring all your stuff.
But let's talk about the one that's last on our list. Hang on. One of the last ones we're going to talk about, and this one we get all the time, especially when we come back to visit family, is we have people say, "Oh, I would love to do that, but I can't leave my family." And that's real. We we respect that. We understand that. Um it would be nice if you can have your family come visit you and you can spend time away from them, but for other family units, they just can't do that. So, our recommendation is take smaller trips to the places you love and then be with your family. Well, some people want to raise their grandkids. They want to be there for Sunday dinners with their family. Those are the people that we understand they're not going to leave their family and move to Mexico. And we say don't don't cuz you'll be miserable. You'll spend a lot of money and it won't be worth your time here. Right?
But here's the big deal. If you're thinking about retiring in Mexico, just do some searches. Do some trips. Don't just jump in with both feet and say, "I'm doing it." So, please do your research. We want you to have a wonderful time. We want you to experience Mexico like we are. And if you have any questions or concerns, you can leave a comment down below. But please know that don't retire in Mexico just cuz we say to. Be sure to do some trips here. Make sure you look around and uh we're never gonna buy a house. Well, at least not now. Yeah. Check out some of our other videos because we've explored some of the things you should be thinking about. Yes. But if you come to visit Mexico and you love it, then come on down and retire. It's the best we think place to be. So, thanks for joining us. Ciao. Adios. Bye.
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